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Willie Nelson Tickets – The Outlaw Never Leaves the Spotlight
Monday, November 16, 2009
Willie Nelson and Family Holiday Show Tickets – Timeless Tracks For the Holiday Season
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tegan and Sara Tickets - Tegan and Sara Touring in Support of ‘Sainthood’
Monday, November 16, 2009
Taylor Swift Tickets – She Had the Best Day, Today
Monday, November 16, 2009
Taylor Swift Tickets – A History-Making CMA Awards for Taylor Swift!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Concert Articles
Neil Young Tickets – Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit a Success
Each year, veteran rocker Neil Young and his wife Pegi host the Bridge School Benefit, an annual concert that raises funds for the Northern California school, and this year Coldplay’s Chris Martin and No Doubt were on hand to participate in the festivities. Held on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif., the 23rd Bridge School Benefit also featured performances by Fleet Foxes and Wolfmother. Young’s wife Pegi founded the Bridge School for children with serious speech and physical impairments, and each year an impressive array of artists turn up to perform for the good cause.
After a pre-show performance by the Dennis Alley Wisdom Dancers, No Doubt got the seven-and-a-half-hour show started with a set list that paid tribute to lead singer Gwen Stefani’s husband Gavin Rossdale’s band Bush, and the set also featured covers of Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows in April” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Next up, the newly-reconfigured Australian rock band Wolfmother took the stage, followed by Fleet Foxes and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James’ supergroup Monsters of Folk, which also features Mike Mogis, M. Ward and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst.
Sheryl Crow took the stage later on in the day, ending her set with a rollicking rendition of “Soak Up the Sun,” and then comedian Adam Sandler performed comedic songs like “Listenin’ to The Radio,” “My Little Chicken” and the inevitable “The Chanukah Song” with a full band in tow. Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed a solo set featuring hits from his band’s repertoire like “Clocks,” “Lost?” and “Viva La Vida” and earned rave reviews from Rolling Stone, with the music magazine claiming Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband “knocked out what was arguably the finest 30 minutes of the night.” Not to mention Young’s concert-closing performance, which ended with the song “Comes a Time.”
Now one of the biggest names in rock music, Neil Young embarked upon his solo career after fleeing California folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1968. The Toronto native got his start making the coffeehouse rounds while growing up in Winnipeg and eventually drifted south to California, where he formed Buffalo Springfield. After the band broke up, Young signed a solo contract with Reprise Records and released his self-titled debut album the following year. Around that time, Young recruited his now-famous supporting band Crazy Horse, which appeared on his sophomore solo album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. The album secured gold status due to hits like “Cinnamon Girl” and “Down by the River.”
Young joined Crosby, Stills & Nash after churning out two more solo albums, and thus expanded the group’s name to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. While with the band, he continued to release solo albums like 1970’s After the Gold Rush, which spawned the hit single “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young splintered in 1971, after which point Young released Harvest, his first album to top the charts and his first to feature a number one single, “Heart of Gold” (surprisingly Young’s only number one single). The successful album was followed by the poorly received film Journey through the Past and signaled a dark period for Young, highlighted by the deaths of two friends due to drug overdose.
In 1975, Young returned to form with Tonight’s the Night and then recorded Zuma with Crazy Horse. After dabbling in country music and abruptly cancelling a tour mid-way through, Young released his so-called comeback album, Rust Never Sleeps, in 1979. The live film of the same name and the double album Live Rust followed, and after a string of confused releases Young jumped labels to Geffen Records. Geffen promised to grant Young complete artistic freedom, and he took their word for it with Trans, an electronic-leaning album that arrived way ahead of its time in 1982. More experimental releases followed, until 1988’s This Note’s for You saw him returning to his roots.
The 1990s saw a resurgence of interest in the folk-rock of artists like Neil Young, and in 1992 Harvest Moon, the sequel to his 1972 breakthrough album, became Young’s biggest hit in recent years. Young upped his cool factor by recording Mirror Ball with grunge band Pearl Jam and steadily released solo albums into the new millennium. Although he was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening brain aneurysm in 2005, Young released the concert film Heart of Gold in 2006, followed by a stream of albums, most recently 2009’s Dreamin’ Man. Check out StubHub.com for Neil Young tickets to see him live.
Keb’ Mo’ Tickets – Recent Endeavors Further Ignite Career of Keb’ Mo’
Fans of the acoustic blues maestro Keb’ Mo’ probably wouldn’t guess from his innovative style and rigorous schedule that the talented musician is nearing 60 years old, but at 58 this Energizer Bunny of a blues singer isn’t anywhere near retiring. Keb’ Mo’ (a stage name short for his real name, Kevin Moore) has been taking his famed guitar-fingering and banjo-picking skills to the forefront of the music industry over the past two decades, and now he’s turning the page to a new chapter in his career, recently starting his own label called Yolabelle International and releasing its first album Live & Mo’.
Released on Oct. 20, 2009, Live & Mo’ is an amalgam of new hit songs and classic live favorites, and everything from political statements like “A Brand New America” to the funky-fresh “Government Cheese” and many more in between are included on the critically acclaimed release. Live & Mo’ is Keb’ Mo’s first release since 2006’s Suitcase and his ninth studio album, and it promises the same kind of success that Mo’ has seen for years, giving credit to his gruff vocals and contemporary blues.
Keb’ Mo’s venture away from the dominant record label Sony has been a work in progress, and it’s sure to pay off for the eclectic artist, whose tunes have long been celebrated by fans of all genres. Calling his recent endeavor of his own label “liberating,” Mo’ has been busy at work handcrafting new hits, and perhaps the go-to song off his current album Live & Mo’ is “A Brand New America,” a song written right before President Obama’s inauguration last January.
“A Brand New America” is certainly one of the bright spots of Keb’ Mo’s latest release, and the soothing song is an anthem for America that is sure to be remembered for years to come, as the chorus reflects: “This is our life/ and these are the times/ we are the people/ and the dream is our life./ Give us the strength/ to be humble and kind/ and respect one another/ leaving no one behind./ From the mountains and valleys/ which stretch to the sea/ a brand new America/ is calling to me.”
While Keb’ Mo’ has recently been plucking the fruits of his labor, he’s been a mainstay in the music industry ever since the ‘70s, when his original jazzy blues style caught the ears of music groups of the day, granting him opening spots on tours for artists such as Jefferson Starship and Loggins & Messina. While continuing to play throughout the ‘80s, it wasn’t until the 1990s that Keb’ Mo’ skyrocketed in the industry, and it was 1994’s eponymous release Keb’ Mo’ that did the job.
Featuring free-wheeling tunes such as the toe-tapping “Angelina,” Keb’ Mo’ was the studio release the modern acoustic blues movement was waiting for, and this harmonica-wailing, guitar-picking artist has been selling out Keb’ Mo’ tickets ever since. Keb’ Mo’s most recent release Live & Mo’ follows this talented musician’s classic style of Delta blues, and fans of the Grammy Award-winning artist can see Keb’ Mo’ perform live with tickets to an upcoming concert from StubHub
Darius Rucker Tickets – Making History in Country Music
When Darius Rucker first rose to fame, it was thanks to his unmistakable voice at the front of the rock band Hootie and the Blowfish. That voice can apparently transcend genres, as he is back on top of the music scene, but this time as a country singer. As an African American, his new status as a country star is significant, since only a handful of African American singers have made it big in the country music scene over the years. His latest single, “History in the Making,” isn’t about his rise in country music, but it might as well be.
Rucker will be front and center on country’s main stage on Nov. 11, when he appears as a performer at the 43rd Annual CMA Awards. He is in good company as a performer, as others on the bill include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Sugarland and Reba McEntire. Rucker could also take home a couple of CMA Awards, as he is nominated for Top Male Vocalist and Top New Artist. To nab the former, he will have to beat out legends like George Strait, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. In the Top New Artist category, he is up against Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen and Zac Brown Band.
Rucker chose to tour with perennial country chart-toppers Rascal Flatts to support his album, but a recent review in the Calgary Herald on their concert stated that Rucker was stealing the show from Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus! It is no wonder, as he offers both his new hits as well as a selection of Hootie & the Blowfish favorites. He is traveling all over North America, and fans can get Darius Rucker tickets from StubHub.com.
Although he started off as a rock star, Rucker certainly has the pedigree for a country singer. He grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and had a love for music at an early age. In an interview with the Calgary Herald, he revealed the he grew up listening to country music as well as a lot of other genres. By the 1990s he had formed the group Hootie & the Blowfish, and they started gaining a loyal fan base. In 1994 they released their first album, Cracked Rear View, which shot to number one thanks to singles like “Hold My Hand” and “Only Wanna Be With You.” They continued their successful ways throughout the rest of the decade, but their popularity started to wane in the 2000s.
Rucker’s first stab at a solo career came in 2002 with the R&B-styled Back to Then. The album didn’t yield any hits, pushing him back to Hootie & the Blowfish for two more albums. In 2008, he turned his attention toward country music, and it seems to be a perfect fit for his emotive and gravelly voice. He hit number one with his first single, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It.” His album Learn to Live, as well as the singles “It Won’t Be Like This for Long” and “Alright,” fared similarly, also reaching the number one spot on the country charts.
Lady Gaga Tickets – She’s Just Your Average Girl
She isn’t finishing up her class schedule, but she is finishing up her performance motif. Stefani Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, is set to appear on the TV show Gossip Girl for the November 16th episode. Germanotta attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, where the Gossip characters attend, before leaving to pursue music full time, and now she will perform on the school’s main stage rather than the hipster joint Bitter End. The latter venue is where her band, the Stefani Germanotta Band, used to perform. With all her wigs, intricate ensembles and wild voices that run around inside her head, it is often difficult to remember that there is a just a Jewish girl from Yonkers inside all that folklore. Recently talking to MTV, she revealed that there is more behind her tunes that just some “Ga Ga.”
Recently she has been promoting the extended version of her album The Fame Monster. Check out Lady Gaga tickets from http://www.stubhub.com. The re-release features a new single called “Speechless,” a tune that she wrote for her father, who has suffered from a heart condition for more than half of her life. “I’ve known about my father’s condition for about 15 years. He told me that whatever happens, happens. I was getting ready to lose my dad and I wrote this song,” she said to New York’s Z-100 Radio Station on Oct. 27.
Though the single has yet to be released, she performed a bit of it during her Saturday Night Live performance. The single is about reminding fans to cherish their parents. Talking to her Twitter followers, Gaga wrote: “My Daddy had open heart surgery today. And after long hours, and lots of tears, they healed his broken heart, and mine. Speechless.” Though promotion came out of revealing her father’s heart problem, she wants it to be more about the importance of family than anything else.
Germanotta was born in March 1986 in Yonkers, New York and attended the Catholic all-girls private school Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan. She took an interest in art at an early age, appreciating her father’s music collection, which featured artists like Davie Bowie and Freddie Mercury. She also wanted to create an art form that fused her passion with commercial and signature art. Taking the stage name Lady Gaga from the Queen song “Radio Ga Ga,” she earned a reputation in the Manhattan downtown club scene and Starlight Revue before finally getting a promising contract with LA Reid and Def Jam. Though that partnership only lasted about three months, Gaga’s growth, which had originally led her to NYU and local performances via NYU, had matured exponentially.
When R&B act Akon finally approached her regarding some songwriting help, Gaga and Akon co-penned her first hit track and eventual international sensation titled “Just Dance.” The single helped her to sign with Akon’s Kon Live label through Interscope Records, and eventually prepared her for the full-length release The Fame. Despite taking months to get a mainstream following, “Just Dance” became a sensation in countries across the globe, giving Gaga a reputable name and helping her second single “Poker Face” see even more success.
CMA Awards Tickets – Presenters Announced!
Some of the CMA Awards nominees will be serving as presenters at the upcoming CMA Awards ceremony on Nov. 11. A few of the artists doling out the honors include: Randy Houser, Jake Owen, Julianne Hough, Kellie Pickler and LeAnn Rimes. NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. will also fill the shoes of a presenter, as well as actors Neal Flynn and Patricia Heaton. Houser and Owen might be on stage a couple of times during the evening, not only as presenters but possibly as winners, as they’re both nominated for the New Artist of the Year Award. Randy Houser also has a nomination for Music Video of the Year for the video “Boots On.” Make sure to tune into all of the country music festivities, or if you want to be there in person, go to http://www.stubhub.com to get your own pair of CMA Awards tickets.
The CMA Awards is instrumental in providing a spectacular venue for the country music industry to celebrate excellence and to award musicians its highest honor for their work. The first CMA Awards ceremony took place in 1967 and was dubbed the “CMA Awards Banquet and Show.” Unlike today’s celebrations, this was not a televised event and was a rather small gathering. Sonny James and Bobbie Gentry hosted the inaugural parade, and Eddy Arnold was named the “Entertainer of the Year.”
The following year the ceremony was taped by NBC-TV for re-broadcast and 1969 was the first year that the show went live. Since these very first CMA Awards events the gala has expanded and currently features a three hour-long live broadcast that honors an array of country music artists, producers, publishers, songwriters, video directors and industry executives who work in the popular music genre.
This year marks the 43rd CMA Awards ceremony, with several talented artists and bands in the running to receive recognition for their work in country music. Up for Entertainer of the Year are Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. The ladies looking for a little luck that night include Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood (all of whom are nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year). The guys gearing up for the Male Vocalist of the Year category include Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisely, Darius Rucker, George Strait and Keith Urban.
Taylor Swift may be looking to give Kanye West another jab if she wins the Album of the Year Award for Fearless, but she’ll have to knock away the competition of Brad Paisely for American Saturday Night; Keith Urban for Defying Gravity; Sugarland for Love on the Inside and Jamey Johnson for That Longsome Song. Also keep an eye out for the Songwriters category, where “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown and Wyatt Durrette is a current favorite to win.
The CMA Awards have been a fixture in the country music world for a few decades now, and each year they just keep getting bigger. This year certainly is a good representation of how much talent is featured in the country music genre, so don’t miss it!
